Why don't you play tournaments?

[filobedo]

I understand many objections to playing tournaments such as time constraints and 4 rounds tournaments but if you have the opportunity to play age restricted divisions, it is much less intense and more fun than playing with some intense rec and intermediate divisions. My only objection is so much chest thumping on social media from several casual and tournament players who lack a sense of self awareness if they play well in age restricted, rec and intermediate divisions. I think everyone should join the PDGA to grow the sport but I have never understood how anyone thinks tournaments and PDGA fees are costs restrictive compared to other social events. If you play five or more sanctioned events a year, it pays to join the PDGA.

 

[anrew18]

For me time is a big issue. I have 3 kids and telling my wife "oh by the way you have to also be by yourself Saturday for 3-4 hours so I can play disc golf" isn't great.

 

[Monkeypaws]

I can't imagine why I would pay a lot of money to remind me how mediocre I am at disc golf.

Ace Races and Birdie Bashes are about as tournament frenzied as I get.

 

[DavidSauls]

The distinction between those who want to play in tournaments, and those who don't, is mostly in the positives.

Most of the negatives apply either way. I think even avid tournament players hate the pace of play, and aren't crazy about the time commitment (a full day, or even a full weekend) or ever-rising entry fees. No one likes getting stuck with unpleasant cardmates.

Those who like tournaments, enjoy other aspects---enough to override the negatives. The ever-increasing tournament participation makes it clear that there are plenty of people who do.

But certainly not everyone's cup of tea, and there are lots of other ways to enjoy disc golf.

 

[Jay Dub]

...there are lots of other ways to enjoy disc golf.

:thmbup:
I'm ashamed to say how long it took me to figure this out. :doh:

 

[Lewis]

Slow tedious play.

This is the main reason for me as well.

 

[Tim_the_Enchanter]

It's been a while since I've played tournaments. I had fun at some of them, not so much fun at others. I see a lot of guys here complaining about devoting an entire Saturday to a tournament. While that's understandable, I would be much more motivated to play if that were the case in these parts. Around here, most of the tournaments, at least the sanctioned ones in tourney season, are two day events. That is a really tough pill for me to swallow, working a M-F job. Even if it is playing dg all weekend, it isn't relaxation. Like a lot of people here are saying, if I'm going to spend all day, or all weekend playing, I prefer to do it in my own fashion.

In addition to that, while I like some competition, I don't thrive on it. Most of the time if I'm worried about keeping score, it's only for myself--I want to beat my average or get a new personal best. Sure, it feels good if I happen to beat other people, but it isn't what gets me off.

Entry fees aren't that bad, IMO, unless you're playing tournies every weekend. DG is a cheap sport, with a cheap player base. People complain about paying $40 for a tournament, and only getting a disc, t-shirt, other swag, etc. But for instance, my friend ran in a marathon a while ago. That cost something to the tune of $200, and he got some Clif bars out of it.

The biggest draw of a tourney, for me, would be the camaraderie. I've met some really cool people through tourneys that I never would have met otherwise. It is true that there will inevitably be overly competitive d-bags in the mix, but by and large, there are good folks that you'll be happy to see.

For the most part though, typical PDGA tournaments, where it's competition for the sake of competition, don't appeal to me. In order for me to be interested, it needs to be something different, like a fundraiser, temp course, BYOP doubles, or the infamous Howliewood. (RIP )

 

[Three Putt]

:thmbup:
I'm ashamed to say how long it took me to figure this out. :doh:

lol. Most of the time when I read your posts I think we have nothing in common but sometimes...

You got into disc golf before I did, but when I got in everything revolved around tournament play. If you didn't get into the tournament scene you were not considered a disc golfer. You were a CF and CF's were the lowest of the low. When I talked to Club guys, it was better not to play than to be a CF. The CF's were takers; the Club guys built the sport from the ground up and the CF's just took advantage of their hard work and gave nothing back. I didn't want to be one of those selfish takers, I wanted to be a part of things. So I joined the Club and everything the Club did revolved around tournaments.

It took me a long time to accept that if disc golf was ever going to grow you were going to need a lot of casual players and everybody was going to have to get over themselves. Now that I have, I like playing disc golf a lot more. It was the long, slow process of realizing that nobody else could tell me how I wanted to participate in my hobby. :doh:

 

[Jay Dub]

lol. Most of the time when I read your posts I think we have nothing in common but sometimes...

You got into disc golf before I did, but when I got in everything revolved around tournament play. If you didn't get into the tournament scene you were not considered a disc golfer. You were a CF and CF's were the lowest of the low. When I talked to Club guys, it was better not to play than to be a CF. The CF's were takers; the Club guys built the sport from the ground up and the CF's just took advantage of their hard work and gave nothing back. I didn't want to be one of those selfish takers, I wanted to be a part of things. So I joined the Club and everything the Club did revolved around tournaments.

It took me a long time to accept that if disc golf was ever going to grow you were going to need a lot of casual players and everybody was going to have to get over themselves. Now that I have, I like playing disc golf a lot more. It was the long, slow process of realizing that nobody else could tell me how I wanted to participate in my hobby. :doh:

You're right, back then you played the tournament scene or you pretty much played alone. Every round back then was for money, even if it was just $1.00.

 

[VictorB]

A couple of different reasons.

I simply don't have a lot of free time to play, let alone practice. I don't even know my rating because I let my PDGA membership lapse back in like 2012. So even though it would probably be appropriate to sign up for intermediate, it might be technically 'against the rules'.

I don't think I've even done any practice putting in over 2 years. My game is mediocre compared to what it used to be. The problem is, that people around here only remember my game when it was good (from like 4-5 years ago, back when I was rated high 960s). Which means if I play in the appropriate division, I wouldn't have fun because people would be on my case wondering why I wasn't playing open (this is even in leagues, mind you)

I find that I'm more suited to powerlifting (which is my new hobby) because I can enjoy the grind and process of getting better without being too results oriented since I only test results a few times a year.

I play a couple of times a month - at the most - and enjoy playing a lot more now that when I was trying to be 'competitive'. I don't need to go to tournaments or leagues to have fun. Most of the time it's a round by myself or out with my 3 y.o. son enjoying the weather.

 

[brutalbrutus]

Im not sure if its my upbringing in the ball golf world or the excruciatingly slow group I play with on the weekends. But pace of play doesn't really bother me at tournaments, unless there is just a huge backup on one hole. But even that doesn't me bother to much.

 

[tbird888]

I got tired of the game feeling like work. Because I wanted to compete and grow my game...

I HAD to putt every day.
I HAD to skip casual rounds with friends to put in field time.
I HAD to give up my day to play two rounds watching my card mates take a minute to miss a putt, and they have to watch me do the same.
I HAD to deal with people on my card that can ruin (potentially) my only fun free time for the week.
I HAD to leave my dog at home while I'm playing in a public park for six to eight hours.

It got so bad that I almost gave up the game altogether. I may not play as well today as I did then, but I am excited to get out to throw again.

 

[archmage]

I don't like playing for money when the expected return of investment is negative.

 

[Shamis]

I still play in tournaments, and I'm actually hoping to play in more this year than last year (but last year I only did 2 tourneys).

There are 2 main issues, one is that it takes all day. That sucks if you have a life outside of disc golf. 36 holes should take 4 hours. Not 7-8 hours.

The other issue, is when you're playing in one of the amateur divisions and you get stuck playing with a group of very serious people. People that don't joke around at all, don't make small talk, and take like 2 minutes to line up their putts. Playing with these people is extremely un-fun. I would totally understand if it was open division in a big tournament, but AM2 at some ****ty local course shouldn't be like that.

 

[eegor]

I didn't have fun playing in tournaments. I have a lot of fun playing casual rounds with friends or "spiritual" rounds alone. It's that simple.

 

[Three Putt]

You're right, back then you played the tournament scene or you pretty much played alone. Every round back then was for money, even if it was just $1.00.

Lol, we had a flight every weekend. Sometimes we had a flight on both days of the weekend. After we played two rounds we played a $5 random draw dubs round. There was a league on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night. When I joined that club it was basically a two nights of the week and one day of the weekend commitment to show up and pay to play disc golf with them. It's a good thing I was single. :|

The time commitment was a bigger deal than the money, though. I got used to losing $5 three to four times a week; even at that it was cheaper than playing ball golf. The bar tab after White Birch league was killing me, though. :|

 

[McFer]

I'd like to see more emphasis placed on the PDGA sanctioned league model. It would provide more flexibility for players. I know PDGA leagues are gaining steam in heavily populated DG areas.

It's working very well for the USTA (US Tennis Association). Adult players especially have far more opportunities for organized, incentive-driven tennis than 20 years ago, when most USTA action was in the form of one to three day localized tournaments that were very hard to fit into a schedule.

I'd also like to see a PDGA sanctioned doubles rating system/rankings. Having a friend to partner up with makes tournaments more fun, and it especially lowers the apprehension of throwing your self out there in singles at your first PDGA event.

 

[InnocentCrook]

I played a handful of tournaments a few years back. Typically played well enough to earn back the money spent (in funny money.). They were fun overall, meeting new people was cool too. But, I realized I didn't have the time to be as good as I wanted because of family, work, etc.

I've played casually for a long time and I have a lot more fun that way. My time is mostly spent trying to build my own course. I play much less frequently in general now that I moved farther away from all the great Cincy courses

 

[BradC]

One I forgot to mention until I saw another thread here.

5 players on a card in an event. EFF that noise.

 

[Monocacy]

The distinction between those who want to play in tournaments, and those who don't, is mostly in the positives.

Most of the negatives apply either way. . . .

Agreed. I usually play a handful of tournaments each year. Reasons not to play more tournaments include competition for time, frigging injuries, and people who take throwing Frisbees in the woods way too seriously. This is why I usually enjoy ice bowls more than regular tournaments – the attitude is way more "chill".

One other issue (and it may just be me): I like to take a leisurely old-guy warmup before playing. Sometimes before a tournament the course is so crowded that I can't get a decent warm-up. This seems like a minor thing, but it drives me insane.

On the positive side, I have met some very nice folks playing tournaments, seen some amazing play, and learned new approaches and strategies from other players. Tournaments also help develop skills that do not always come into play on casual rounds – concentration, making every shot count, and scrambling to recover from bad shots.